Telstra agreement boosts NBN rollout: Conroy

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says the full-scale rollout of the high-speed national broadband network (NBN) can now begin following the completion of agreements between Telstra, the builder and the government.

On Wednesday, the $11 billion definitive agreements between the parties came into force.

Senator Conroy said the agreements would improve the efficiency in building the network as NBN Co would have access to Telstra's pits, ducts and exchanges to ramp up the rollout of the $35.9 billion project.

"This will mean the reuse of existing infrastructure, avoiding infrastructure duplication and resulting in less disruption for communities," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Importantly, the delivery of Telstra's infrastructure information under the agreements removes one of the last impediments for the full-scale rollout of the NBN, allowing NBN Co to continue ramping up construction activity."

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in late February approved Telstra's plan to split its retail and wholesale arms as part of the telco's agreement to participate in the NBN.

Under the plan, Telstra will progressively shut down its fixed copper lines and migrate its customers to the NBN's fibre-optic cable network.

Telstra will retain ownership of its Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) cable network and its 50 per cent share in Foxtel.

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The telco could also bid for wireless spectrum for mobile device providers later this year.

Telstra chief executive David Thodey said the agreements ended nearly three years of "intense and complex negotiations" with many parties.

The telecoms giant will receive $11 billion in payments over the rollout of the NBN, which is scheduled to be completed in 2021.

"We are very pleased we have delivered this positive outcome for our customers, employees and shareholders," Mr Thodey said in a statement on Wednesday.

NBN Co said it was an "historic day" for the network, for its customers and the provision of high-speed broadband around Australia.

"Today we have cemented the arrangements with Telstra that will enable the efficient re-use of Telstra's existing infrastructure as we undertake the orderly migration of fixed telecommunications services from the copper of today to the fibre of the future," a spokeswoman said.

Senator Conroy said the agreements would underpin NBN Co's three-year rollout plan, due out by the end of March.

NBN Co - a government-owned enterprise - is in charge of rolling out fibre-optic cable to deliver high-speed broadband services to 93 per cent of Australia's 13 million homes, schools and businesses by 2021.

Fixed wireless technology will provide high-speed internet to four per cent of premises, and the remaining three per cent will be supplied by two satellites to areas outside the reach of the cable and wireless networks.